Bring it on, Burn Notice

The USA Network’s hit series Burn Notice begins airing its 5^th season June 23^rd and if you have yet to see this show, you should consider tuning in.

The premise is a perfect set-up for some MacGyver-style action: Michael Westen is a spy who wakes up to find that he’s lost his job (burned), and the CIA doesn’t exactly give references. He’s stranded in Miami with only family, friends, and his CIA experience as resources. He makes it his mission to get his job back while encountering people in need of the kind of help he is uniquely qualified to provide.

The show is extremely clever and at times educational, in that it explains to you how stealing yogurt can make a break-in look like an innocent misunderstanding. The show is funny, has explosions, and the Miami setting provides a convenient excuse for some bikini shots. Basically, the show has everything an action fan would want.

The show has a bit of a premise problem that it has been very successful in dealing with. Michael is always trying to get his old job back, and if he ever did, the show as we know it would end. They satisfy this by having him get a little bit closer to the truth of his burn notice each season, without him actually fulfilling his objective. The show gets to continue with the formula that’s working while still nominally making progress on the main plot.

Michael’s entourage includes his mother, his former IRA ex-girlfriend and his former Navy Seal Buddy, Sam Axe, played by none other than b-movie superstar Bruce Campbell. This spring USA aired a prequel movie Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe, which was entertaining even as a stand-alone and fleshed out the character for the fans. 

On the whole, the show can be enjoyed by just about everyone. There’s lost going on, and despite being formulaic, every episode feels unique. The show is well worth watching.

The Much-Improved Outsourced

NBC's Thursday night comedy Outsourced just wrapped up its first season and it's still up in the air whether or not it will get a second season.

The show has received mixed reviews with much of the negative coming from the show's extremely rocky start and, in some cases, the assumption that any story involving cultural misunderstanding is racist. Personally, I was intrigued by the premise. Somewhere between my experience in call centers and my love of travel I just had to find out what they would do with the show.

The main character, Todd, tries very hard to navigate his new surroundings, and he slowly manages to not offend his employees every time he opens his mouth. This isn't an easy feat since the call center sells novelties of all kinds to American consumers: He not only needs to them to accept that people will actually buy the junk they sell, but many of the product are sexually explicit in nature and he needs them to be able to sell those products without being scandalized. As the cultural misunderstandings become more specific, the show actually manages to teach the audience about Indian culture and not just make cheap jokes about the broader differences.

Madhuri

The show's weak start introduced the characters so hastily that it was hard to see past the parade of stereotypes. However, after a few episodes the characters had depth and it was possible to take an interest in their stories. For example, Madhuri is quiet and shy, and in the first few episodes she appears as more of a prop than a character, but as the show progresses she becomes one of the most loveable characters, and not just because she has huge eyes: she makes herself so inconspicuous that she is effective as both a spy and a gossip.

The two-part season finale was a high point and even dedicated some to develop the character of Ajeet, the lone Muslim who previously had no lines and mostly just stormed out of the room angrily whenever he was (presumably) offended.

I haven't completely made up my mind about the show. It has shown steady improvement, but if it doesn't get renewed it will disappear as a mediocre 1-season show. If it does get renewed, it will have to maintain the quality of the later episodes to be considered a truly worthwhile show. Even at its best, it's not the best comedy on TV, but it's certainly better than the worst by a long shot. It's worth checking out, but I wouldn't consider it to be required viewing for a TV Elitist.

Camelot: a weak show with a weak king

Camelot, which airs on Starz Friday nights, is TV's latest take on the Arthurian legend.

The show begins as Arthur takes the throne and seems to be primarily about his struggles to gain recognition and legitimacy. The unique take on the story is that Arthur was raised by commoners and had no idea he was of royal blood, while his sister, Morgan, had every reason to believe that she was the sole and legitimate heir to the throne.

Arthur and Morgan

Arthur himself is apparently some kind of puppet to Merlin's plans, although it's still unclear if putting Arthur on the throne was his goal, or just a means to an end. As Merlin's efforts to legitimize Arthur are revealed in the show, Arthur comes off more and more as a hapless young man bumbling through his new responsibilities. Unfortunately, it's unclear if that's intentional, or if the writing and acting for the part of Arthur is so weak that the character comes off as weak.

Merlin

Arthur is actually the most boring character on the show. Morgan is quite a lot more interesting, although it often seems like the actress is trying too hard, particularly when she is trying to seem regal: she comes off a bit like an evil cartoon character. However, the supporting actors for her storyline seem quite talented and the whole her scenes are the most watchable.

Merlin is an interesting character, but tends to seem weirdly out of place. He stays mostly behind the scenes, trying to manipulate events to his will, but he's so withdrawn that once he puts Arthur on the throne he ends up having little to do with anything.

 Arthur looks more like a king in the promotional poster than in the show

As the show progresses, it seems to be more and more about a child playing at King than the legend of a great king. The show is intended for an adult audience, but if not for the occasional adult content it would probably be better off in a Saturday afternoon time slot where it can be enjoyed by children. After a few episodes, the show is likely to lose the interest of all but the most dedicated fans of the Arthurian legends and fantasy genre.

Doctor Who has aged well

Easily one of the most iconic shows to come out of the UK, BBC's Doctor Who has been airing off and on since 1963. The current incarnation began in 2005, but is not a re-imagining or a re-telling, it is part of the same series and a continuation of the same story. That said, one of the most remarkable things about this show is that you really don't need to "catch up" to get into the show: you can jump in any time.

Doctor Who is principally a science fiction TV show, but it can change in tone quite dramatically from one episode to the next, offering episodes such as "Blink" which is itself a brilliant example of horror/suspense, to many light-hearted and comical episodes. The variety of stories and narrative flexibility provide an engaging show that will keep you wanting more, while still being able to surprise and amaze.

One of my favourite aspects of the show is something that never changes: the TARDIS. The Doctor's time machine/space ship resembles a police call box from the 1950's. Apparently the TARDIS was once able to take any form necessary to blend into its surroundings (a convenient feature for a time machine) but at some point it got stuck and can no longer change its appearance. The result is a ship that looks ridiculous, but everyone gets used to it (characters and audience) and you end up with one of the most bizarre and iconic ships in science fiction.

If you have never seen an episode of the show, all you need to know is that The Doctor travels through time and has adventures with his human companion. Make popcorn, watch, enjoy. The current season has aired three episodes so far, and, if you needed an excuse to check the show out, the fourth episode was written by best-selling author Neil Gaiman.

If there is one thing that gives me pause when saying it's a great show, it's the fact that aliens always seem to land in the UK, usually England or Wales. American movies and television are more than guilty of the same kind homeland-centrism, but by comparison it seems more likely that aliens would happen upon the larger country. However, England is quite densely populated, so maybe that is what the aliens are targeting. It seems a silly thing to dwell on, but as a member of the international audience, it's a neat side-effect that the show makes me wonder where aliens would actually choose to land, if the circumstances of these stories were actually to come alive.

This show should at least be checked out by science fiction fans, and even fans of light science fiction, such as Lost, X-files, Medium, Heroes, Being Erica, etc, since many of the stories take place on earth and involve normal people.
 

30 Rock: After 5 seasons

Last night saw the season finale #5 for NBC's Thursday night comedy 30 Rock. The season finale did not include anything outside the ordinary, probably because season 5 already brought us a live show and the special 1-hour 100^th episode. We got an expected number of laughs from seeing what the summer will be like for the cast and crew of the fictional show TGS.

The show has been pretty consistent in quality during the 5 seasons and if you haven't seen it, you should certainly check it out at some point. However, assuming you don't live under a rock, you probably don't need me to tell you this. Instead of a review, I'll just list some of my favorite people of 30 Rock:

Salma Hayek – a brilliant 6-episode arc where Jack tries to woo the character Elisa (played by Hayek) that includes such great moments as Jack discovering that he is hated by Elisa's grandmother because he looks like a villain on a Mexican soap opera to Eliza ultimately ending the relationship while wearing a T-shirt with the phrase "What the Frak?!"

Jon Hamm – Dr. Drew Baird, introduced as a gorgeous and successful pediatrician, ends up introducing us to the concept of the bubble: where the beautiful people live, sheltered from the challenges of the real world. Not only is Drew able to get anything he wants without trying, it turns out he's very stupid, raising some very uncomfortable questions in the minds of the audience regarding any doctors who happen to be good looking.

Dean Winters – The recurring character of Dennis Duffy, Liz's on again of again love interest, never fails to produce a laugh. He is a living embodiment of setting yourself up for failure in business, from selling out-dated pagers, to owning vending machines in inconvenient locations, yet he does it with confidence and a small. And he was able to predict that a gas leak could bring Liz back to him: ever the optimist!

Bobby Jindal – The governor of Louisiana never actually made an appearance on 30 Rock, but after Governor Jindal gave the republican response to the presidential address to congress in February of 2009, his association with the show was set in stone: he was widely compared to the character Kenneth the page and many side-by-sides can be found on YouTube to illustrate the similarities.

The Killing: Raw and Suspenseful

AMC's latest Sunday night series is based on a very successful Danish series called Forbrydelsen. It follows the investigation of a single murder: the killing of a teenage girl named Rosie Larsen.


By focusing on a single investigation, the show can explore details that are generally ignored or only hinted at in most police procedurals. The show follows the investigation day-by-day, but also deals with the impact of the crime on the lives of the victim's family and the suspects. In fact, one of the most striking elements of the show is seeing how the family deals with the tragedy from the initial worries to picking out a casket for their daughter. This element of the show is dark and feels very real.

The show's main focus is on the investigation itself which progresses slowly as Rosie, like many teenagers, had secrets and as the parents and police uncover her secrets, it adds to the picture of the victim's life, but doesn't necessarily lead to who killed her. An additional level of tension comes from the fact that the lead investigator was supposed to leave town with her family the day Rosie's body was found and she is put in a position where she may have to choose between her fiancé and catching Rosie's killer.

The Killing has what I refer to as a "premise problem". The story is built around a question (who killed Rosie?) that the characters are actively trying to answer. This can lead to several problematic ways of extending the show's lifespan: The question never gets answered, or it gets answered and continues to air past its natural lifespan. Alternatively, the show could progress at an acceptable pace and eventually end with a satisfying conclusion. Fortunately, the show is well made and gives you lots to watch for other than just waiting to find out who killed Rosie.

The slow pace and lack of satisfying resolution at the end of each episode may not suit some viewers, but there is enough going on to keep you coming back. If you like dark dramas or suspenseful thrillers, this is definitely a show you should be watching.

Game of Thrones: Early impressions

I'll be perfectly honest: you can expect to see HBO shows come up fairly regularly on this blog. Since this show is still young enough to attract new viewers, I thought it would be a good place to start.

The show, based on George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series, runs a full 60 minutes without commercials Sunday nights on HBO.

Game of Thrones is epic in scope, dealing with the affairs of kings and lords in a setting which includes seven kingdoms. An extra layer of mystery and tension comes from what lies behind the ominously delivered prediction: "winter in coming". The seasons do not cycle in the same familiar way experienced anywhere on earth, and winter apparently comes with far more dangers than the cold.

As someone who has not read the books and knows nothing about them, the series starts by being both incredibly intriguing, and a bit confusing. The pilot episode certainly raises enough questions that it draws you back to watch another episode, but there is so much going on that does not yet have context that it can be hard to keep track. However, by the end of the third episode, the relationship between the seemingly unrelated stories has been established, and the viewer is more fully pulled into the various plots, plans, and stories.

The quality of the production is of the level you would expect for HBO and the sets and costumes lend themselves perfectly to what promises to be a sprawling epic. Of the many characters, several jump out and make you want to know what happens to them. The acting is fantastic and you are likely to spend the whole hour fully immersed in another world.

In general, I do not consider it a good thing to have to watch a few episodes before I know what's going on, but I think to cram a bunch of exposition in the pilot to clear everything up would have compromised the overall quality, given the scope of the story. If you are willing to give it a chance, the show will most likely draw you in. And, of course, if you are a fan of fantasy settings with swords and kings, and horses, then you owe it to yourself you check it out.